Pipe handling gear



A ril 24, 1951 MICKELSQN 2,550,159

PIPE HANDLING GEAR Filed Jan. 8, 1-945 2 Sheets-Sheet; l

INVENTOR.

0. MiG/26160 A ril 24, 1951 'A. o. MICKELSON PIPE HANDLING GEAR 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Jan. 8, 1945 INVENTOR.

ifted 0/740/6555072, BY

Patented Apr. 24, 1951 PIPE HANDLING GEAR Alfrcdfl Mickclson, Elmhurst, Ill., assignor to Pipe Line Service Corporation, Franklin Park, V 111., a corporation of Illinois Application January 8, 1945, Serial No. 571,941

---This invention relates to pipe handling gear and has for its principal object the provision of a new and improved gear of this type.

It isfa main object of the invention to provide a new and improved gear for handling pipes into and out of a pipe coating machine which simultaneously rotates and longitudinally advances the-pipe.

It is a further object of the invention to provide a pipe handling gear that permits handling rality of individual self-contained units which can be set up and aligned at low cost.

Still another object of the invention is to provide a low cost pipehandling gear that is of sturdy construction capable of withstanding hard usage over along period of time with a minimum of maintenance. i;

Further objects of the invention not specifically mentioned here will be apparent from the detailed description and claims which follow, reference being had tothe accompanying drawings in which a preferred embodiment ofthe invention is shown by way of example, and in which: r

Figure 1 is a side elevational view showing the preferred embodiment of the invention,

Figure 2 is a side elevational view of a pipe dolly drawn to an enlarged scale.

Figure ,3 is an end elevational view of the dolly taken'substantially along the line 3-3 of Figure 1 looking in the direction of the arrows. Figure 4 is a fragmentary elevational view of the'pipe uncoupling mechanism.

Figure 5 is a cross sectional view taken substantially along the line 55 of Figure 4, looking in the direction of the arrows, and

Figure 6 is a plan view of pipe unloading mechanism.

Pipe coating or pipe coating and wrapping machines usually comprise a propelling mechanism such as, for example-the propelling mechanism shown in Patent 2,048,557 issued to Mickelson and Duaei July 21, 1936,which rotates and simultaneously advances the pipe lon- ;gitudinal1y so that a point on the outer surface off the pipe travels in a helical path. A coating S oe uch as... q e ample-the sho hown in 4 Claims. (01. 29-239) the Patent 2,147,308 issued to Mickelson and Duaei February 14, 1939, is employed to apply a coating of protective enamel to the pipe after which, in some instances, one or more layers of felt or paper are applied to the pipe in the manner explained in the first of the above mentioned patents.

Pipes varying in diameter from inch up to 12 or 14 inches are coated in this manner and in the case of the larger pipes, the problem of moving the pipes into and out of the coating machine has been the subject of much prior art, of which I am aware. The prior art discloses various rather complicated arrangements for lifting and moving the pipe longitudinally to feed it into the machine, and also equally complicated devices for removing the coated pipe from the machine. These prior art devices have required electric or hydraulic or pneumatic power and have been very expensive to construct, install, operate and maintain. The present invention provides a new and improved method of handling pipe into and out of such coating machine and employs devices which are manually operated, and which can be constructed as sturdy, serviceable units, and can be installed, operated and maintained at low cost.

Inits' preferred form the instrumentalities of the present invention are relatively small independent units capable of being easily transported, set up and properly aligned with respect to each .other and to the coating machine. The arrangement is far. more flexible than the prior art devices and enables the invention to be emplayed. in cases where a coating machine is set loaded from cars on the siding.

Pipes vary in length from 20 feet for the smaller sizes up to 50 feet'for the'larger sizes,

and'in the case of larger pipes it isdifficult, if not impossible, for two men to lift a length of pipe. However, two men'can easily roll a large pipe and it is customary to provide skids that are substantially parallel and disposed far enough apart to support the pipes in a substantially horizontal position.

Adjacent these skids and th in min d of the machine, in the preferred embodiment, are a p u l t o spac d ai'i i' p p s ands. usually two or three onto which the pipe is olled. h e ipe stan s ar equipp d with rollers that are t o perm t easy movement of the p pe a long ud al anslato s movement. This movement permits coupling the leading end of the pipe onto the trailing end of the preceding pipe already in the coating machine. The pipe stands are also equipped with rollers that are set at an angle such that the pipe rolls thereon during the simultaneous rotary and longitudinal movement imparted to it by the coating machine.

Adjacent the outgoing end of the machine is a trackway upon which is mounted a dolly that contains pipe supporting rollers which engage the leading end of the pipe as it emerges from the machine, the dolly being pushed along the trackway by the advancing pipe. As soon as the coupling between the preceding and succeeding pipes has cleared the coating machine that machine is stopped and a manually operable uncoupling mechanism is manipulated to move the preceding pipe longitudinally to uncouple it from the trailing pipe then'in the machine.

'Freshly coated and wrapped pipe must be handled carefully to avoid damage to the coating before it has become fully cooled and set, and the dolly and uncoupling mechanism are provided with rolling skids onto which the pipe is lowered to permit rolling it out of the machine. In order to permit subsequent welding of the pipe ina pipe line or coupling it therein by usual pipe couplers, the coating is cut back for a,v distance of a foot or more from each end of the pipe. These rolling skids on the dolly and uncoupling mechanism engage the pipe in these regions so that damage to the main coating is avoided.

It is the usual practice to provide rolling skids adjacent the outgoing end of the coating machine which skids are heavily padded so that a freshlycoated pipe may be rolled onto the skidsand cooled thereon without damage to the coating.

The method of the present invention avoids any lifting of the pipe by confining the pipe movements in the handling gear to rolling and lowering the pipe and it has been found that even the heaviest pipes can be handled with substantially fewer men than has been possible with the pipe handling gear of the prior art, of

which I am aware.

Referring now to the drawings in more detail: In Figure 1 there is shown a conventional coating machine comprising a propelling mechanism l and coating mechanism' 2, both of which are mounted on a framework 3 that carries a tank in:which the coating material is maintained at .proper. application temperature. Located adjacent to the incoming end of the coating machine are a plurality of spaced apart pipe stands 6, which support thepipe that is to be coated.

Pivotally. mounted on the coating machine frame 3: at the outgoing end of the machine is an uncoupling mechanism I, and extending outwardly therefrom and in alignment with the pipe is a trackway 8 upon which runs a pipe supporting dolly 9.

Pipe stand 6 forms no part of the present invention. It is sufficient to note here that each stand 6 consists of a frame lll'upon which is mounted a bracket! I, to which bracket a wheel carriage I3 is pivotally connected and supports a roller I4 which supports the pipe for movement longitudinally of its axis. The stands are also equipped with a pair of rollers 25 which are adjustable to the angle of the helical pitch of the pipe when rotated, and simultaneously advanced longitudinally of its axis. Pipes are 4 rolled onto these stands and supported by rollers l4 during the coupling operation, brackets 20 on the stands preventing overshooting during the rolling operation. After the pipe has been coupled and simultaneous rotary and. longitudinal movements are to begin, the brackets 13 are rotated on their pivots through cam means operated by lever l9 to lower the pipe onto rollers 25.

' With this arrangement and with suitable couplings of the pipe shown in Patent #2,077,769, issued to Postlewaite April 20, 1937, two men can handle the larger sizes of pipe without difficulty.

As will be seen in Figures 1, 2 and 3, the track 8 comprises spaced apart rails 30 which are engaged by flanged wheels 3| that are on axles 32', which are journaled in the frame 33 of the dolly.

Mounted on the frame of the dolly in suitable guides 34 isa mounting plate 35 upon which are journaled a pairof flanged supporting rollers 33. The leading end of a pipe emerging from the coating machine is engaged by these rollers 36 which support it, and as the pipe moves forward it pushes the dolly along track 8 away from the coating machine.

Also mounted on the frame of the dolly, running transversely thereof, is a rolling skid 31 which is disposed below the upper or pipe engaging surfaces of the rollers 36. Journaled in suitable brackets on the dolly frame is a shaft 38 which carries a cam 39 that engages the mounting plate 35. Shaft 38 also carries a lever chine by suitable means, and the other end of which is supported on a height adjusting mechanism 45. Pivotally supported in the frame is a sub-frame '41 that is supported on earns 48 that are'mounted upon a shaft 48' journaled in the frame 45. A suitable lever 49 is mounted on this shaft to permit operating the cam to raise and lower the sub-frame onto brackets 50 on frame 45 by swinging it on its pivot.

During the coating of a pipe the sub-frame is lowered to increase the clearance between it and the pipe, since there is considerable sag in a 40 or 50 foot pipe. When the machine has been stopped as above, lever 49 is operated to raise the sub-frame into the position in which it is shownin Figure 1.

Mounted upon the sub-frame members 41 are plates 5! which contain a plurality of groups of holes 52 through which bolts 53 may be extended toadjust the position of the plates vertically with respect to the sub-frame members. The bolts 53 extend through clamp plates 54 which-hold the plates 5| in position when the bolts are tight. 7

Mounted in suitable journals 55 on the plates 5! is a shaft 56 upon which are mounted a pair of beveled gear segments 58. Segments 58 are adjustable longitudinally to the shaft to adjust the mechanism of pipes of various sizes. Shaft 56 also carries a lever 59 through which it may be rotated.

' immaterial.

- countered by the pipe coater.

simple to operate, and can be maintained in good 4, brings these gears into engagement with the pipe, raising it slightly and then moving it longitudinally as the rotation is continued The "point of engagement of gears 58 with the pipe 1;

is between the line 6| and the end of the pipe, and since the coating on the pipe is to be cut away to the line 6| to permit coupling the pipe in a pipeline, any damage to the coating that may result from'engagement of the gears 58 therewith is of no moment.

Mounted upon plates 5| and extending transversely of the sub-frame 41 is a rolling skid 62. and during the latter part of the rotation of gears 58 the pipe is lowered onto this skid, the line 6i being beyond the skid so that damage to the coating by this contact with the skid is The pipe having thus been lowered skid disposedtransversely of said sub-frame, a

onto the rolling skid 31 on the dolly and onto the rolling skid 62 on the uncoupling mechanism, it can now be rolled out of the machine and onto suitable drying skids, not shown, where it is allowed to remain until the coating has fully cooled and hardened.

Rolling skid 31 in the dolly is mounted therein so that'it may be reversed. In Figure 3 the skid is fixed so that the pipe is rolled to the left to remove it from the dolly. In certain instances it may be advantageous to rollthe pipe to the right, Figure 3, in which case rolling skid 3T will be turned end for end. Also, on the pipe stands stop can be moved from one side of the stand to the other. As shown, in Fig. 1 stop 20 is on the back side of the pipe and when the pipe is to be fed onto the stands from this back side, the stop and lever 19 can be moved to the front side. Rolling skid 62 and levers 49 and 59 on the unloading mechanism may also be changed from one side to the other as required.

The method of the present invention is possessed of many advantages. Heavy pipes are rolled and lowered so that even the heaviest may be handled by two men. The apparatus employed is composed of a plurality of units each of which can be constructed as a sturdy device at low cost. The mechanism is far more portable than the pipe handling gear of the prior art, and is therefore better suited to meet the conditions en- The devices are operating condition economically.

While I have chosen to illustrate my invention by showing and describing a preferred embodiment, I have done so by way of example only, as there are many modifications and adaptations which can be made by one schooled in the art What is claimed is:

shaft journaled in said sub-frame and extending transversely thereof, means for rotating said shaft, and means on the shaft operated by a rotation thereof for engaging a pipe, moving the same longitudinally of the sub-frame and then lowering the same onto said rolling skid.

2. In a pipe handling gear, an uncoupling mechanism comprising, a frame, a sub-frame pivoted to said frame adjacent one end thereof and extending therefrom towards the other end of the frame, cam means on said frame for raising and lowering said sub-frame, a rolling skid, disposed at the free end of and extending transversely of the sub-frame, a shaft journaled in and disposed transversely of said sub-frame, segments of beveled gears fixed upon said shaft and operable upon rotation of the shaft to engage a pipe, move the same longitudinally of the sub-frame and then lower the pipe onto the rolling skid.

3. In a pipe handling gear for uncoupling from a trailing pipe a leading pipe whose trailing end is supported by said trailing pipe; a shaft, means for supporting said shaft in juxtaposition to the pipe with the axis of the shaft at right angles to the axis of the pipe; a pair of gear segments fixed on said shaft} and means for rotating the shaft to engage said segments with the pipe first to transfer the support of the engaged end of the pipe from thetrailing pipe to the shaft and then to move the engaged pipe longitudinally of its axis and out of engagement with said trailing pipe.

4. A gear for uncoupling a leading pipe from a succeeding pipe which is supporting the trailing end of the leading pipe comprising: a shaft disposed at right angles to the axes of the pipes and therebeneath; a pair of segmental gears fixed in spaced apart relation on said shaft; means for rotating said shaft and gears, said'gears engaging the leading pipe during the initial portion of the rotation to transfer the support of the engaged end of the leading pipe to the shaft and then moving the engaged pipe longitudinally of its axis during continued rotation; and a rolling skid disposed below the pipe and extending transversely of the axis of the pipe, said gear segments lowering the engaged pipe onto said skid during the final portion of said rotation.

ALFRED O. MICKELSON.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,791,793 Chambers Feb. 10, 1931 1,883,964 Kramer Oct. 24, 1932 1,911,601 Boughton May 30,1933 1,919,186 Cooper July 25, 1933 1,927,847 Resser Sept. 26, 1933 2,000,351 Paul May 7, 1935 2,010,820 Larson Aug. 13, 1935 2,086,160 Gotthardt July 6, 1937 2,166,608 Postlewaite July 18,1939 2,166,609 Putnam July 18, 1939 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 401,975 Great Britain Nov. 23, 1933 

